Our customer experience predictions for 2025 reveal a transformative shift in how businesses will connect with their customers. Based on insights from leading CX experts, these predictions highlight the critical intersection of artificial intelligence, human connection, and evolving customer expectations that will shape customer experience trends in 2025 and beyond.
The Evolution of CX Leadership in 2025
The role of customer experience is expanding beyond traditional boundaries, and our 2025 CX predictions indicate this trend will accelerate.
Steven Van Belleghem, author of A Diamond in the Rough, emphasizes that “CX is not something that you can encapsulate in neat little silos in your organization in times of exponential automation. Every layer of your company should be obsessed with your customers.”
Van Belleghem points to Sumit Singh, CEO of Chewy, as an exemplar of modern CX leadership. Singh’s approach combines human emotion with strategic thinking – from allowing employees to bring pets to work to personally responding to customer messages on LinkedIn. This hands-on leadership style demonstrates how successful companies are making customer focus everyone’s responsibility.
My Take: What stands out in these customer experience predictions for 2025 is the emphasis on company-wide customer obsession. Organizations that succeed will be those where every employee, regardless of role, understands their impact on the customer experience.
Professional Growth in the CX Field
As customer experience professionals take on more responsibility and face more scrutiny, one of many challenges will be focus.
Joey Coleman, international keynote speaker and WSJ bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again, raises an important point about professional development: “CX professionals should pay close attention to their own growth and learning activities,” he said, “With so many things to pay attention to, so many distractions, and so many tasks/responsibilities, many CX professionals’ schedules are filled to the brim and beyond… leaving little time for long-term thinking, strategy, professional development, or self-care.”
The AI Revolution Continues to be a Key Customer Experience Prediction for 2025
Among our top customer experience predictions for 2025, the integration of AI emerges as perhaps the most significant shift. Several experts highlighted how AI will reshape customer interactions:
Stacy Sherman, Founder/Chief Experience Officer Doing CX Right®, predicts that “AI’s biggest impact in shaping CX for 2025 will be its ability to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale. By analyzing vast amounts of customer data, AI can predict individual needs and preferences, enabling businesses to provide highly tailored interactions and solutions.”
Bill Quiseng, customer care expert, introduces an interesting perspective on AI evolution, referring to “TEA bots” (Technically and Emotionally Adaptive bots) that will recognize emotional states. As he puts it, “Whether the company delivers an experience served by a real human or a TEA bot doesn’t matter. All that matters is that customers FEEL they had a quick, easy, and emotionally WOW experience.”
My Take: The key isn’t just implementing AI, but implementing it thoughtfully. The goal should be enhancing the customer experience, not just improving operational efficiency.
Challenges and Opportunities
The experts identified several other key challenges and opportunities that CX professionals will face in 2025:
Jeannie Walters, CX Speaker & CEO, notes that “Customers will want to feel more in control. That’s becoming more challenging when resources are limited to provide guidance and better options for self-service, for example. Customers will express disappointment if expectations are not met, so CX pros need to work hard to set the right expectations in how they market, sell, and communicate to customers.”
Scott McKain, author of The Ultimate Customer Experience®, believes that while AI will drive some executives to reduce staff, “AI should handle some of the routine activities so team members can deliver a higher level of experience.”
Shep Hyken, customer service/CX expert, adds: “Customer expectations will continue to rise as they are exposed to the companies that get it right. Stop comparing your company or brand to the competition. Instead, compare your experience to the companies who get it right (from any industry).”
Must-Read CX Resources
We asked our experts to recommend one essential CX book (other than their own). Here are their top customer experience book picks in alphabetical order:
- Be the Best at What Matters Most by Joe Calloway
- Care Packages for your Customers by Barbara Glanz
- The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore
- The Experience Maker by Dan Gingiss
- Giftology by John Ruhlin
- The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Why We Buy by Paco Underhill
CX Leaders and Voices to Watch
When asked about CX voices that deserve more attention, our experts highlighted several thought leaders:
- David Horsager
- Neen James
- Matt Lyles
- Jeremiah Owyang
- Andre Prins
Brands Leading the Way (And Those That Need to Step Up)
Our experts identified several brands as CX leaders:
- Amazon
- Chewy
- Costco
- Lego
- Trader Joe’s
However, they also pointed out organizations that need to improve their customer experience in 2025:
- All airlines (particularly American Airlines)
- Starbucks
- Spectrum/Charter Communications
My Take: The contrast between CX leaders and those needing improvement reveals an important truth: exceptional customer experience isn’t just about having the latest technology or the biggest budget. It’s about consistently delivering on promises and showing genuine care for customers.
Looking Forward: Your 2025 CX Predictions
What do you think? Did our experts nail their 2025 customer experience predictions, or did they leave something out? We want to hear from you, too! Just share this article on your favorite social media site and add in your own predictions. Be sure to tag Dan Gingiss or The Experience Maker so we can see — and engage with — your post.
Want to see how our experts fared last year? Check out our 2024 Customer Experience Predictions.
